SPAM: Electronic junk mail. Some people define spam even more generally as any unsolicited e-mail, although spam usually refers to unsolicited e-mail advertising that arrives in your Inbox.
In addition to wasting people’s time with unwanted e-mail, spam also eats up a lot of network bandwith. The generally accepted version of the genesis of the term ‘spam’ comes from the Monty Python song, “Spam spam spam spam, spam spam spam spam, lovely spam, wonderful spam…”
There are many ways to control, and even eliminate, spam.
The Death of Top 40 Radio in Vancouver
The radio ratings wars are on again, as the radio scene in Vancouver continues to transform itself, in search of ever more listeners.
Or, perhaps it is that corporate radio is interested only in going after the same piece of the 18 – 34 demographic pie. Z-95 recently jettisoned its long successful contemporary hit radio format in favour of chomping on the same piece of pie that is being chewed on by radio ratings leaders, ‘soft rock favourite’ QM-FM, and the relatively new radio kid on the block, the self-styled “We play what we want”, JACK-FM, and their rehash of 80s hits.
Bad enough that there’s no place on Vancouver radio for ambient / techno / jazz and related electronica radio formats. Now, Vancouver radio listeners — particularly, young people — won’t even be afforded the opportunity to listen to the latest pop hits from Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera?
Whatever the sad and regrettable case, Michael McCullough writing in today’s Vancouver Sun covers the local radio ratings scene, and the demise of broad spectrum radio in Vancouver.
Regime Change By Social Collapse
CUPE researcher and Haiti activist, Kevin Skerrett, writing in today’s issue of Z-Mag on “George Bush’s coup d’etat in Haiti” focusses on the role of the Canadian government, indicting the Liberals for offering succour to the U.S. and French as their strategy of financial strangulation of the Aristide government led to inevitable regime change.
“Today, in early 2004, the new Martin government is eager to demonstrate its enthusiasm for a renewal of the Canada-US partnership, and the recent crisis in Haiti presented the first significant foreign policy loyalty test for the Prime Minister,” Skerrett opines in his essay’s thoughtful introduction.
Update, March 3rd: also have a look at rabble.ca’s analysis of the coup, and this article, titled “Bush’s Haiti nightmare”, by Salon’s Tim Grieve.
Tomorrow’s Another Day
After ages during which the earth produced harmless trilobites and butterflies, evolution progressed to the point at which it has generated Neros, Genghis Khans, and Hitlers. This, however, I believe is a passing nightmare; in time the earth will become again incapable of supporting life, and peace will return. — some sombre thoughts about world peace expressed by philosopher Bertrand Russell.